Blog Archive

Pages

Friday, March 28, 2008

The Names of Cuts of Beef in Mexican Spanish

A Trip to the Carnicería

by Victoria Challancin

Shopping for meat can be daunting. This may come as a surprise to Americans who are accustomed to shopping in American grocery stores where everything is sanitized, tidy, clearly weighed, and labeled with familiar terms in a familiar language. Stray a bit from your familiar turf, however, and a whole new world could reveal itself. I learned over thirty years ago, when I left my carnivorous comfort zone and moved abroad, that, in fact, there might be serious reasons other than health concerns to become a vegetarian. And one trip to a "foreign" butcher shop just might push you over the edge.

Journeying through Afghanistan, where fly-encrusted fresh carcasses were hung in doorways and hacked on all day by butchers who sold their meat wrapped in newspaper, should have given me pause. It didn’t. I ate my way through every kebab house that placed itself in my path at mealtime throughout countries such as Turkey, Iran, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. And when I moved to Abu Dhabi, where meat is killed by the humane practices prescribed by the Prophet Mohammad, I still didn’t flinch. Even in sophisticated Paris, where I lived with my cousin, a trip to the boucherie with its horse-head sign didn’t slow me down either. Even when chickens were purchased with their heads still attached and rabbits came unseparated from their furry feet to prove that they weren’t cats, my carnivorous habits persevered. Although these animals provided a unique challenge when faced with my one dull knife, I still managed. Mexico? My son’s favorite food is head tacos (tacos de cabeza) from a local food stall which displays it’s semi-bare, lewdly grinning heads all in a row—clearly a mark of pride over how many have been sold. And last Spring when I led two different groups of women through the souks of Morocco, I may have been the only person completely inured to the dripping animal heads placed enticingly on the counters of the colorful butcher shops.

But in the grand scheme of things, a chicken with its head is still obviously a chicken. A rabbit with its feet, as well as providing a built-in good-luck talisman, was familiar to me. A goat’s head? Well, ok. I’ve eaten worse. Goats' eyes, for example. Since my father and brothers were hunters, as were most of the males I knew in South Florida where I grew up, they provided our table with a constant supply of fresh meat. I understood the process. And though I have had to defend hunting practices as an adult whose consciousness has certainly undergone change, I grew up being accustomed to seeing freshly killed animals being prepared for dinner or for freezing. In fact, our chest freezers always were brimming with venison, quail, dove, rabbit, frog legs, turtle, and occasionally alligator. I cannot claim to have been removed from the process. My exposure was hardly sanitized.

So what happened over twenty years ago when I moved to Mexico? Was it the butchering process itself that was distasteful? Certainly no more so than was normal. Was the butcher himself not obliging? Never! Was it the meat itself? Of course, it did look substantially different, not remotely close to cuts I could then recognize, but it was still, after all, just meat. Was it the language? Well…it’s true that while my exceptional language skills allowed me to translate rather soon after my arrival such Spanish terms like T-bone, other cuts remained a mystery. Costillas I could handle; falda seemed obvious (but wasn’t); bistec sounded suspiciously like “beefsteak,” and though it didn’t look quite the same, I trusted that there was a connection between the two that I could believe in. But what on earth was diezmillo? Chambarete? Aguayón? And how was I going to explain to my helpful carnicero, who was so eager to accommodate, what it was that I wanted? Pointing to my shoulder or patting my belly when ordering seemed somehow inadequate. A crash course in “meat” Spanish was clearly necessary. Unfortunately, the Internet was not yet born and most books and charts were based on the Spanish from Spain, not Mexico, so the terms made little sense to either me or to my poor, obliging butcher. And now for those of my readers and students who have need of some help with their Mexican butcher or at the grocery store and for those of you who can’t understand your Mexican cookbooks, let me share what I have learned over the years. Let’s see if I can demystify the process of translating some basic cuts from English to Mexican Spanish. And let’s start with beef.

Understanding Cuts of BeefPre-cut meat in Mexico may look different than you are accustomed to seeing. While the basic cuts are pretty much the same, the way they are broken down may be different. Generally, Mexican butchers are extremely helpful and will cut meat to order, if you can explain exactly what you want. Mexican beef is not usually aged, almost never marbled, and usually what little fat there is, is removed. For this reason, meat that is to be grilled or cooked quickly, benefits from the marinating process. Larger cuts are generally braised or stewed. Because terminology may vary from region to region as well, a little knowledge of the animal itself or from what part the meat comes from, is very useful.Because beef is muscle tissue, the cuts that come from frequently used muscles are logically tougher and generally require long, slow moist-heat cooking methods such as braising in liquid (braising, stewing, and boiling) to loosen and melt the connective tissues, a process which makes them tender. But not all connective tissue will become tender when cooked.

The two main components of connective tissue are collagen (white) and elastin (yellow). When a slow, moist cooking method is used, collagen melts and becomes gelatin-like. Elastin, on the other hand, only shrinks and becomes even harder when it cooks. For this reason, elastin should be removed before cooking.

The most exercised muscles, the toughest, are the chuck, brisket, round and shank. The tenderest cuts come from the least excercised muscles, such as the loin.

Toughest cuts:Chuck: pot roast, stew meat, hamburgerBrisket: corned beef and barbecued beefRound: (including top round, bottom round, eye of the round, and rump roast) Top round can be roasted (example: London broil), but the other cuts should be cooked using moist-heat methods. Sometimes, however, these cuts are roasted and served very thin, as in deli-style roast beef.Shank, or leg: is best braised, stewed, or in stocks.

The short plate and flank constitute the cuts considered “medium tough,” or if you cup is half-full like mine, “medium tender.” Even though the muscle fiber is tough, these cuts still contain sufficient intramuscular fat to help maintain tenderness. These cuts can be grilled, but benefit from being marinated. Cutting them across the grain once they are cooked, also yields a more tender piece of meat.

The most delicate cuts of beef come from the rib, short loin, and sirloin. Cuts like rib steaks (also called delmonico or prime rib), rib eye steaks, (boneless), and rib roasts, all come from the rib. The sirloin provides a variety of steaks named from where they are cut from. These can be broiled, grilled, sautéed, or roasted.

The most tender cuts come form the short loin. From the larger side of the short loin we get porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, strip, New York strip, and shell steak. The smaller side provides the tenderloin or filet mignon. The loins can be cut into roasts or smaller steaks.

The most tender cuts:Steaks: Porterhouse, T-bone, top loin, strip, New York strip, and shellRoasts: tenderloin, filet mignon

A Few Tips for Cooking BeefAmounts to buy: Allow 225g/8oz to 350g/12oz per person from a roast on the bone and 150g/6oz to 225g/8oz per person from boneless roasts. A steak weighing 125g/5oz to 225/8oz should be enough to satisfy most appetites.

Safe temperatures: A roast whose internal temperature reads 145F, is considered safe to eat. Ground meat is considered safe at 160F.

Medium rare: 145FMedium: 160FWell-done: 170F

A Glossary of Terms in English/Español(Note: This program will not leave the following list in appropriate columns--sorry!)Basic Terms:English/Español

59 comments:

OMG, I NOW have a list! I have hesitated to go to the butcher because of my limited Spanish. I have SO wanted to cook a pot roast and was trying to figure out how to say that. I'm printing out this blog and putting it in my recipe box where it won't get lost!

Shawn,This is from Victoria of Flavors of the Sun. I had to do some research on this via the butcher as I hadn't heard the term "pulpa blanca" before, but was told that the pulpa blanca is still from that large flank cut, but is the internal part whereas the pulpa negra comes from the "frontal de la pierna." Does this help? If not, I'll try to expand it a bit if needed.

I was just wondering because I work in a Mexican Store in MI, We have about 50/50 American and Hispanic customers so we have to put everything in English and Spanish. So was looking for what I would call la pulpa blanca, because you call the pulpa negra 'top round'

Shawn,OK. I do love a mystery. Now I am told that pulpa blanca is another name for bottom round, whereas pulpa negra is top round. Does this sound right to you? I still haven't seen the term used here in Guanajuato.

I was recently at a Mexican grocery (prior to reading your blog unfortunately) and saw a cut of meat that resembled a skirt steak. It was brown (not red like the meat I am used to seeing at a meat market) and it had a uniformly oily texture. The butcher told me the cut was from the leg. Is this skirt steak? Is it safe to consume? Why the oily texture?

Hi Prithy,I'm not sure what cut of meat you are seeing at your grocer, but it is probably not skirt steak. Your butcher said it came from the leg and skirt steak comes from the plate which is located underneath the cow, not on the legs. I also have no idea why the meat is oily-looking. If the color is brownish, it is probably because it is somewhat aged, but I would have to see it to be sure. Hope this helps!

Dear Unknown,I think you're right! That's a perfect explanation. Here in Mexico you often find pre-marinated arrachera, which is darker and oilier than regular meat, for sale. I don't know why I didn't think of that earlier. Thank you!

I'm sorry if this was clearly explained and I missed it. My co-worker brought in some delicious beef tinga that I am going to be adventurous and try to make. He said I need Carne para Decebrar, which I can see from your blog is for shredding, but if I go to the market, I still don't know what exactly that would equate to, I am seen some things that say brisket and some that say flank steak? Any ideas? thanks

Thank you so much! I moved to a Mexican neighborhood in Chicago and all the labels are in English, but the butchers only speak spanish. I know basic vocabulary, but this is wildly specific and my family is from south america. My dad explained that these cuts are regional, so this page has saved me. I LOVE cooking and was going to cry myself to sleep for a year if I couldn't find a good way to communicate with our butcher. I have one more- What would I call the thin sliced corned beef sandwhich meat? Again, it says Corned Beef in English at the store, but we have to play the point and grunt game for quite a while to get the right one. Lol. Thanks!!

Thank You very much. Living in San Diego, I find this information invaluable! I posted a link on fb for all my other friends. However, I tried to find your chart, and it was no longer available. Do you know where I may access it? Thank you, Lacey

Dear Ifro,So glad the information is helpful to you and others. This post is so old, I guess the original chart disappeared, or rather, the link to it is no longer valid. Sorry about that. You might try Google for another--I am certain they are out there somewhere!

Hi Victoria, I see that you recently replied to this old post, which gives me hope :) I would like to ask your advice on what kind of meat may I request at the carniceria that will be yummy for shish kabobs? I cannot afford to buy fillet minon as I would need to buy plenty. My hubby invited quite a few friends for a BBQ we are hosting tonight.

From the information I read I figure it would be cubos para brochetas but I would actually like to cut the meat myself & I'm unclear on what kind of meat to request. We've tried using stew meat & it was incredibly tough, now I understand why.

Hi Nancy,Aguayón is indeed sirloin, but if I were you I would just ask the butcher which cut he would recommend. Stew meat is definitely not what you want as it requires braising and long-cooking to make it tender. Sirloin will certainly work for skewers, but if you want to splurge, rib-eye or porterhouse would be good. If buying sirloin, which is fine, as for the "tip," which is the most tender part of the cut. Hope this helps.

Thank you so much Victoria! That helps a lot. I will definitely ask the carnicero what he recommends, but in case I am not convinced with his recommendation, I sincerely appreciate your blog, your time & your prompt response :)

For future reference, I will ask for rib-eye or porterhouse for my family. However, tonight's event is last minute & since I didn't budget for it in advance, I wanted to get the best for the best price so I will ask for the "tip" of the sirloin. Now here goes my silly question since I am supposed to be fluent in both English & Spanish... Aye ay ay... How do I say that in Spanish? "Me puede dar la punta de aguayón en trosos?"

Nancy,"Punta de aguayon" works for me. I always think I am fluent as well, but special usage...well...I asked my son, who was born in Mexico and is certainly fluent, and he said that works for him, but he wasn't sure either. Whew!

Well, this was a fascinating read. But doubly problematical because I am British (and British names for the various cuts are somewhat different from the American ones), and I live in Madrid, and the Castellana names are completely different from the South American. I think I might have to learn butchery.

On a whim I googled cuts of meat in Spanish, and was really hoping for Mexican Spanish because you see, I have just moved to MX a few months ago, and am really having a heck of time when going to the mercado to buy meat. Your article is a lifesav! I too, will save and print the list for keeps! Thank you! Now do you have one for cuts of pork? 😄

The best of meat steaks that is available at a good price :-On or after buy kobe beef online one end to other the price rise above by means of well beyond figureless situation all particular level problems can get kobe beef in usa completed. We are here in the direction of provide you best quality meat by the side of wagyu steaks time. There are some more in the hunk in the direction of get down the car relation buy kobe beef problems.

Thank you for this post. It is quite informative. I have a question about a cut of meat I don't see on the list. I found a recipe for tacos de suadero. Looking online, I see that some people say it's brisket, others say it's flank steak, and yet others say it's rose meat. Can you please tell me which one is the right one?

Suadero is flank steak.Maybe the reason of the confusion is that both flank and brisket look alike and are Carne para deshebrar (easily shredded) But definitely flank steak is more tender so is used for stewed tacos and brisket is used most of times in boiling or in slow cooker.

I just did some research about carne asada in Imperial Valley, California. Mexicans here use the word arrachera both for skirt steak and for flap meat. For top sirloin, they use the word palomilla.

In one market, arrachera was labeled as ranchera, and others confirmed that's a good word for skirt steak too. Seems like it was probably just a mistake in hearing the word arrachera improperly.

Around here I see only the spelling diesmillo with s and not z. Local butcher said that Mexicans don't use flank steak. Two local butchers (who serve primarily hispanic clientele) had never heard of a hangar steak. (I hadn't either till a few years ago.)

I notice that you never use the word fajita, which some people here use for the flap meat. I wasn't sure if fajita was just the term for the dish or the meat. But it is obviously related to faja, or belt, which is the area of the animal from which skirt steak and flap meat (bottom sirloin) is cut.

Now people won't feel hesitate to go to the Spanish meat shop. Your article is helping so much. Keep posting this kind of article on your blog. It is spreading help. Keep it up.Fresh pork cuts provider, PA

Tri-tip is very popular in Brazil and is known as picanya or picaña. This cut is now very popular in Mexico, due to the popularity of Brazilian Restaurants in Mexico. It is left with a 1/4” cover of fat on one side, cross-grain-cut into 3 large chunks, folded in half so the fat cover is on the outside. The “C” folded are skewered by a long knife and grilled by a rotating rotisserie. Served by cutting thin slices across the “C” after the fat cover is frizzled and the meat is medium rare. Picaña is now sold by Costco continually in Mexico and is marvelous!

Thank you Victoria. My wife is Mexican and she only ate her beef well done and I could not even convince her to eat even medium. So she would order other than beef in a fancy steak house. WE traveled to Mexico frequently, I am fully believed that Mexican did not appreciated a rare premium marbled steak. It would cooked fully unless I ordered it extra raw with red juice.

Mostly corned beef is cut out of brisket = pecho de res but any roast like the top round, bottom round tip sirloin or top sirloin can be use also but I would suggest tip sirloin = milanesa de res for thin sliced cut

Flavors of the Sun

Food for Thought:Musings from a cooking teacher living in Mexico on her lifetime affair with history, culture, travel, and food.

Subscribe via email

Sign up to receive new blog posts delivered fresh to your inbox

About Me

San Miguel de Allende, Guanajuato, Mexico

Welcome to my site:
I am an American who has lived abroad for the last 37 years. For the last twenty five years, I have lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, where I own Flavors of the Sun International Cooking School. The other twelve years were spent living in the Middle East and Europe or simply on the road traveling internationally.
I also lead small groups each year to Morocco, Paris, and Istanbul, with new destinations planned. While food is never far from my heart, these are not culinary trips. Rather, they are specialized and customized journeys designed to help the traveler extract as much as possible from the cultures, countries, and cities we visit.
This blog has basically grown out of my love for food, travel, and requests from clients and friends to share information, tips, and recipes.
Contact me at flavorsofthesun@gmail.com for more information regarding cooking classes or trips.